Tuxel City.
Luis and Alicia had already disembarked and were now heading toward the Transport Hub. Yet Alicia's thoughts were still lingering on their earlier conversation.
"Luis… do you think it's the owner of that black blood responsible for Uncle Matthew's disappearance?"
"Do you have a different opinion?" Luis asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes. He wondered if Alicia could piece things together on her own.
"This whole thing feels strange…" Alicia rubbed her chin with a faint frown. Then she snapped at him in annoyance. "Don't you have more information? Like his background, his enemies, his abilities, or anything?"
"You can ask Mom about it later." Luis rolled his eyes, clearly unwilling to continue the topic.
Before she could press further, he took out a small gift box from his mana bracelet and placed it into her hands.
"I just—hmm? What's this?" Alicia's question was cut short by the sudden appearance of the box. A faint smile curved her lips.
Luis shrugged casually. "Sothing I prepared for you. In return for your gift."
"Why don't I rember giving you anything?" Alicia raised a brow, puzzled.
"Did you forget?" Luis chuckled, leaning closer with a teasing smile. "The first kiss we shared under the witness of Aunt Maria's favourite Oak Tree."
Alicia froze. Then her entire face, and even her beautiful white neck, turned crimson. She felt ashad. Seeing the grin on his face only made it worse.
Suppressing her embarrassnt, she curled her lips and spoke back sarcastically,
"What shared kiss? That was sothing I took myself! Did you even have the guts? All talk, no action!"
Her eyes carried disdain and mockery.
Luis was montarily dumbfounded. Then, instead of getting angry, he laughed. "Hehe~ I don't have guts? Since you put it that way, I guess I'll have to prove myself."
Before Alicia could react, Luis wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned in. His gentle grey eyes t hers, and her heart skipped violently.
Just as his lips were about to touch hers, Alicia snapped back to her senses and pushed him away.
Luis didn't force it. He simply released her, amusent flickering in his gaze.
"So, Miss Alicia," he said lightly, "Care to tell now? Who's the timid one between us?"
Alicia was flustered, but she quickly found an excuse.
"That's not it! You haven't given a formal proposal yet. How could I let you kiss ? It's wrong!" The more she spoke, the steadier her voice beca.
Luis stared at her in silence.
'Why wasn't it wrong yesterday?' He thought bitterly. 'If she kisses , it's a reward. If I try, it's forbidden?'
'This world is so unfair. Maybe, just let it be destroyed? Nah! Scratch that.' He reined in his darker thoughts with a quiet sigh.
"Fine," he said. "You want a formal proposal? Then I'll give you one."
He leaned closer, his tone suddenly serious.
"Let's see if you can stop after that."
Luis' declaration made Alicia's heart flutter in anticipation. Her ears burned red as she turned her face away, pretending to study the passing crowd.
"T-That's enough bravado," she muttered. "Let's walk."
Luis smiled to himself and followed beside her, matching her pace. The bustling streets of Tuxel City flowed around them as they headed toward the Transport Hub. Yet despite the noise, an awkward warmth lingered between them, like an invisible thread pulling their hearts closer.
After a few steps, Alicia finally rembered the unopened box still in her hands.
"…So," she said quietly, peeking at it, "can I open it?"
"Go ahead."
She carefully lifted the lid.
Inside lay a pair of transparent gloves, whose surface was smooth, and they looked like jelly. Compared to the old Magnus Gloves, these looked elegant, more refined, as if every detail had been redesigned.
Alicia's eyes widened.
"Magnus Gloves?"
Luis nodded. "Version 2.0."
She lifted them gently, her beautiful eyes observing them. "You upgraded them?"
"Mm. All the existing functions," he replied casually. "Energy storage is quadrupled, better synchronisation, smoother control, the magnetic control is improved, and the morphing range has expanded. Everything's been optimised."
"You can just practice with it later and let Lily give you a proper overview. Also, I've compiled a module that has so ideas regarding the addition of Magnus Gloves to your combat style."
Alicia looked up at him, surprise and gratitude mixed in her gaze. She was surprised that he actually made them for her. She rembered back then, when Luis had indirectly asked her if she wanted it, she evaded the question. At that ti, she even wondered if he would ask for sothing audacious in exchange. Just how wrong she was.
"You really didn't have to—"
"I wanted to." He shrugged. "Consider it compensation for your 'forced kiss.'"
Her face instantly heated up again.
"Stop bringing that up!" she snarled and thought with annoyance. 'I am so stupid. Just now, I was getting emotional over this idiot. His audacious request would have been nothing compared to kissing, right?'
Luis laughed softly, enjoying her reaction far too much.
"There's one more change," he added, suddenly donning a mischievous smile. "Deactivation no longer needs hand gestures."
Alicia blinked, though her blush was still present. "Then how does it work?"
Luis leaned closer, lowering his voice dramatically. "Voice command."
Her brow knitted together. "What's the code?" For so reason, she had a bad feeling about this. 'Don't tell it's another one of his mischiefs?'
Luis didn't hesitate. With a perfectly straight face, he said shalessly, "The command is, [Luis, I love you~]"
Silence fell between them. Alicia stared at him blankly. Even her blush vanished that instant.
Her expression was so empty that even Luis began to feel uneasy.
"…Try it," he urged, suppressing his nervous laughter.
Alicia didn't move. She simply looked at him for a few seconds longer, then spoke in a flat, emotionless tone. "Change it back to hand gestures."
"Huh? Why?" Luis asked, looking genuinely confused. This was different from what he expected. "There are so technical reasons it might be difficult to implent—"
"Don't make repeat myself!" Her voice was stern.
"But—"
Before he could finish, dozens of translucent ice blades silently ford in the air around Alicia, their sharp tips all aid at Luis. The temperature dropped several degrees in an instant.
Luis stiffened.
"…Alright. Alright," he said quickly, raising both hands in surrender. "No need to get violent."
The ice blades dissipated just as quietly as they had appeared.
Luis let out a long sigh, feeling regretful. His shoulders slumped in visible defeat. His grand sche had failed.
What he didn't know was that Lily, the little traitor, inside his Pocket Space was cheering and hopping around in excitent.
{Good job, Sister Alicia! Teach Master a good lesson!}
User Comments
0 comments from readers